Ministry of Justice remains reliable partner in implementing international best practices in integrity, prevention and fight against corruption

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine will continue to be a reliable partner in the implementation of policies in the field of integrity, prevention and combating corruption. This was stated by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, during her online speech at the public discussion “Ukraine on the Road to OECD and Accession to OECD Anti-Bribery Convention”.

The event was attended by representatives of the Government of Ukraine, MPs, international partners and technical assistance projects, anti-corruption structures, civil society and others.

“It was after the Revolution of Dignity that international conventions and anti-corruption instruments, in particular those of the OECD, became the basis on which Ukraine was able to quickly and efficiently develop and effectively implement anti-corruption legislation, not only in terms of the functioning of anti-corruption bodies or the Law on Prevention of Corruption itself, but also in terms of implementing sectoral policies,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

She drew attention to the fact that Ukraine’s movement towards joining the OECD Working Group on Bribery and full participation in its work is a significant impetus for the Parliament to develop a regulatory framework. In particular, a draft law on liability of legal entities for corruption-related criminal offences has already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, which is one of the steps towards joining the OECD.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this and other legislative initiatives in the area of preventing and combating corruption have been identified by the Ministry of Justice as priorities for legislative work with the Parliament until the end of 2024.

“There are many other changes ahead. However, we have a reliable anti-corruption strategy, which is the basis for the work of all state institutions. I would like to assure you that the Ministry of Justice will continue to be a reliable partner in implementing policies in the field of integrity, preventing and combating corruption, will be a reliable shoulder for the system of our anti-corruption bodies, and will provide expert and legal support to the Ukrainian Parliament in implementing the best international practices. For my part, I would like to call on our international partners to support Ukraine’s full accession to the working group. For us, this is a very important indicator of the success of the country’s transformations and changes, which, I am sure, will serve as another element to the positive achievements that Ukraine represents in Brussels today,” added Olha Stefanishyna.

Background

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is an international organisation that unites 38 countries. The OECD aims to create better public policy solutions that promote economic development, equal opportunities and prosperity for all.

In 2022, Ukraine began the process of joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the OECD Working Group on Bribery as an integral part of it. One of the mandatory steps towards OECD membership is the ratification of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. Ukraine’s accession to the Anti-Bribery Convention, in particular, is an integral part of the accession negotiations with the EU under Chapter 23.